Manure-spreader.



No. 810,459. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906. J. M. BERINGBR.

MANURE SPREADER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1 905.

2 SHEETSSHEET l No. 810,459. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906. J. M. BERINGBRMANURE SPREADER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1905.

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

- Iv I J I I Atorney s Inventor 70M]. Beymgez;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MANURE-SPREADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed April 19, 1905. Serial No; 259,438.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. BERINGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pomeroy, in the county of Garfield and State of Washington,have invented a new and useful Manure-Spreader, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to manure-spreaders of that class which areemployed for spreading and scattering piles of dung or manure which havebeen dropped in the field, the object being to save the labor of thusscattering the manure manually by the use of forks.

A further object of the invention is to construct a device which may beused not only for spreading or scattering the 'manure, but for conveyingit to some distance from the original place of depositsuch as, forinstance, when it is desired to scatter the straw from the bottom of astraw-pile when the same is to be utilized as manure.

Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve theconstruction and operation of this class of devices.

With these and other ends in view, which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists of theimproved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts,-which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredform of embodiment of the invention.-

In said drawings, Figure 1 .is a perspective view of a machineconstructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. Fig. 2is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a perspective detailView showing the end of one of the bars connecting the spreaderhead withthe frame of the machine.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout bysimilar characters of reference.

The frame of the machine includes a rear. or main axle 1, provided atthe ends thereof with rotary transporting-wheels 2. The axlesup orts apair of uprights 3 3, and connected Wit the rear side of the axledirectly behind the uprights 3 3 are obliquely-disposed upwardly andrearwardly inclined braces 4 4. Forwardly-converging frame-bars 5 5 areconnected securely with the upper ends of the uprights 3 and the braces4, the front ends of said frame-bars being connected, as by bolts 6,with a front cross-bar 7. A cross-brace 8, supported upon the frame-bars5 in rear of the front bar 7, serves to support a standard 9, carrying aseat 10. Braces 11 connect the front bar 7 with the side members 5 ofthe frame. The ends of the cross-bar 7 are also connected with the endsof the axle 1 by means of brace-rods 12.

13 designates a front truck, which is swiveled upon the under side ofthe front end of the main frame by a king-bolt 14, said front truckbeing composed of a bar 15, having depending brackets 16, between whicha wheel 17 is mounted for rotation, the brackets 16 being reinforced bybraces 18. The tongue 19 is connected with the front end of the bar 15,and suitable means are to be provided for the attachment of the draft.

The rear ends of the side members 5 of the frame support a platform 20,at the ends of which are provided uprights 21, near the up per ends ofwhich hand-levers 22 are fulcrumed. The spreader-head is composed of aplurality of tooth-bars 23, rounded at their lower ends and shod withsteel or iron points 24, said tooth-bars being connected at their upperends by a cross-bar 25, the parts being firmly mortised or otherwisesecured together, so as to insure a stiff and rigid construction. Ateach end of the spreader-head is an auxiliary tooth-bar 26, the lowerend of which is extended forward of the tooth-bars 23, said auxiliarytooth-bar at each end being connected with one of the end bars 23 bymeans of a brace 27. These auxiliary toothbars are for the purpose ofpreventing the nlilaterial operated upon from escaping latera y.

The outer ends of the hand-levers 22 are connected, by means of links28, with the cross-bar 25 of the spreader-head, which latter may thus bymanipulating the inner ends of the levers be raised or lowered, theuprights 3 and the oblique braces 4 being straddled by several of thespreader-teeth, so as to prevent lateral movement of the head. The

.latter is, furthermore, guided by means of a pair of bars 29, the frontends of which are loosely connected with the side bars 5 of the frame,as by means of headed studs 30, en

gaging the frame-bars and extending through slots 31 in the bars 29. Therear ends of the bars 29 are likewise connected with the crossbar 25 ofthe spreader-head, which latter is thus capable of being freely adjustedupwardly and downwardly, as may be required.

It will be noticed that the lower ends of the spreader-teeth 23 bearupon the front side of the axle 1, which is cut off obliquely, as

clearly shown in Fig. 2, and which is provided with a wear strip orplate 32. The metallic shoes 33 of the spreader-teeth are extendedupwardly upon the rear sides of said teeth, so as to engage thewear-plate 32.

The cross-bar 25 of the spreader-head is provided with a'hook 34, underwhich the ends of the hand-levers 22 may be placed for the purpose ofretaining the spreader-head in an elevated position, as is desirablewhen the machine is to be transported from one place to another.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawingshereto annexed, the operation and advantages of this invention will bereadily understood.v It will be observed that the spreader-head iscapable of moving independently of the frame, its adjustment beingeffected by means of the hand-levers 22, which are to be manipulated bya man or boy standing upon the platform 20, While the machine is guidedby the driver occupying the seat 10. By lowering the head until theforwardly-curved points of the spreaderteeth are in contact with. theground a pile of dung or manure may be dragged to the place where it isdesired to deposit the same, when by manipulating the levers 22 thespreader-head may be agitated and manipulated to agitate the load and tocause portions thereof to escape beneath and between the teeth, thuscausing the manure to be spread evenly and quickly and without muchmanual exertion on the part of the operator. The operation may beperformed very quickly and at much less expense for labor than when theold-fashioned method of spreading the manure by means of forks isemployed.

The construction of the device, as will be seen, is extremely simple andinexpensive, and the operation thereof will be found very eifective.When the machine is to be trans ported from one place to another, thespreader-head may be suspended at an elevation above the ground byengaging the ends of the levers 22 with the hook 34. The front end ofthe machine carries little or no weight, and hence will be amplysupported by the single-wheel truck herein described, which enables themachine to be conveniently guided in any direction and which does not inthe least interfere with the operation of thef defice either in takingup or in distributing the oad.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is .1. In a machineof the class described, a wheel-supported frame including uprights,braces, and side members, a spreader-head having teeth straddling theuprights of the frame, and bars loosely jointed with the side members ofthe frame and with the spreaderhead and connecting the latter with theframe.

2. In a machine of the class described, a wheel-supported frameincluding an axle, uprights and side members, in combination with aspreader-head having teeth straddling the side members and the uprightsand supported against the axle, and means movab y connecting thespreader-head with the frame.

3. A wheel-supported axle having uprights and side frame memberssupported by said uprights, a spreader-head having teeth some of whichstraddle the side members and the uprights, and connecting-bars looselyconnected with the s reader-head and with the side members of t e frame.

4. A wheel-supported axle having uprights and side frame memberssupported by said uprights, a vertically-movable spreader-head havingteeth engaging the front side of the axle and provided with a topcross-bar, and connecting-bars loosely connected with said top cross-barand with the side members of the frame.

5. A wheel-supported axle having uprights and side frame members su"ported by said uprights, a vertically-movablb spreader-head havingteeth engaging the front side of the axle, connecting-bars looselyconnecting the top of the spreader-head with the side bars of the framenear the front end of the latter, and a supporting-truck for the frontend of the frame.

6. A wheel-supported frame, a spreaderhead vertically movable in saidframe, means for spacing the top of the spreader-head from the front endof the frame, a platform upon the frame, levers supported adjacent tosaid platform, links connecting the outer ends of said levers with thespreader-head, and a hook connected with the latter for engagement withthe inner ends of the levers.

7. A wheel-supported frame, a spreaderhead vertically movable in saidframe, and means for spacing the top of the spreaderhead from, andflexibly and slidably connecting it with the front end of the frame. H;

8. A wheel-supported frame, a spreaderhead vertically movable withrelation to said frame, spacing members connecting the top of thespreader-head flexibly and slidably with the frame near the front end ofthe latter, and means for independently manipulating the ends of thespreader-head.

9. A Wheel-supported frame including an axle, uprights and side memberssupported upon said uprights, a Vertically movable spreader includingteeth straddling the side members and the uprights, a Wear-plateupon'the front side of the axle, and shoes upon the points of the teethof the spreaderhead; said shoes having upward extensions to engaging theWear-plate upon the axle.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

JOHN M. BERINGER. Witnesses:

EDWIN W. GIBSON, ELLA M. WOODRUFF.

